Of Dancing Flames and Feline Smiles
by SallyJupiter90
Summary: Guy is injured in the forest after failing once again to capture Robin, he is saved by a woman who may just be the key to him finally achieving all his ambitions. G/OC - First Fic so please be nice! Rating may go up depending on where the story takes me.
1. Chapter 1

Of Dancing Flames and Feline Smiles

1.

As the sun was setting over Nottingham, Robin Hood ran as fast as he could through Sherwood Forest followed very closely on horseback by Sir Guy of Gisborne.

"This is it Hood!" Guy bellowed "You've foiled one scheme too many!"

Robin and his men had released a group of peasants meant to be sold to an important acquaintance of the Sheriff, not that Guy really cared about this. It was the fact his neck was now on the line for the mishap that had riled him, Hood was as good as dead. However, in his haste he had not noticed the line of rope tied across the very path he was beating down on until both he and his horse were no longer upright but tumbling to the ground.

Guy awoke in the now dark forest, the dull ache that was beginning to work its way over the length of his body was a tell tale sign that his horse had landed on him. He swore to himself, Robin was long gone, a mere ghost that had disappeared amongst the trees. He attempted to stand despite his agony and swore again as he collapsed back to the ground breathlessly. Through blurred vision he could just make out a figure approaching him.

"_Hood," _he thought to himself as flashes of pain struck his head with force, impairing his vision and antagonising him more _"he's come to finish me off at last."_

Guy summoned up the strength to hold out his sword in defence, he wanted to die but he wasn't going to give that cretin the satisfaction of killing him without a fight. His head was throbbing unbearably now along with the rest of his body and his vision virtually nonexistent, _"Hood is going to pay dearly for this._" He said to himself as the figure drew closer; but it was to Guy's surprise that when the figure spoke it was not the voice of the man he had come to loathe that he heard through the darkness.

"Put your sword down my Lord," the female voice said harshly, within moments of this Guy of Gisborne gave up both his sword and his battle for consciousness.

oOoOoOo

The woman carefully fingered the card she had just picked up from the tarot deck – _"The Emperor"_ – it was one of her favourites, no matter how you looked at it _"The Emperor" _meant leadership, authority and absolute power. She had spent many a night longing for those meanings to ring true for her and she would be damned if she was going to leave this earth having not made them happen. She looked around the cave she had been using for shelter since her escape 3 weeks ago; it was dark, damp and fusty. She despised it.

"This is wrong," she said to herself with a mixture of sadness and contempt "this is not what I was destined for, it is beneath me."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the man she had rescued stirring; it had not been easy getting him to the cave as his size and weight dwarfed her petite frame and she had spent much of the time dragging the man by his ankles and cursing the both of them. The woman carefully put away the tarot cards and began to make her way over to the dazed stranger laid out next to the fire.

"Whaa—where am I?" Guy slurred, he was still feeling dizzy from the fall, but almost mercifully the pain was beginning to subside. He had no idea how he got to this place, he had most certainly not walked there that was for sure. Gradually he began to remember; the fall, the pain and the voice that had spoke to him through the darkness. He looked up to see a woman of similar age to him approaching; she definitely wasn't a peasant, her vivid blonde hair tied back in an intricate braid and her figure slyly exposed by the leather corset bound around her long black gown.

"Hush, lay back down" the woman said kneeling and laying a hand on Guy's chest as he tried to sit up, her voice was like silk he noted. "You've taken quite a fall but you're in good hands and fortunately nothing is broken; you just have a few bruised ribs and a nasty knock to the head." Guy ignored this and grabbed the woman by the throat.

"Who are you?" He growled, his injuries simply added to his embarrassment of losing track of Robin and he was not in the mood for mystery and niceties. His grip tightened as the woman struggled for air.

"Una, my name is Una" she gasped, Guy's grip began to loosen but she still had to do something before she blacked out.

"How di-" Guy's interrogation was halted by a cloud of dust flying into his eyes, he released his grip on Una immediately as his eyes began to stream and sting intolerably. When he had finally managed to blink away the tears and dust he found that Una was holding a small dagger to his throat.

"Where did you get that from?" he said with a smirk despite the threat to his life, truth be told he was rather impressed at the woman's agility.

"Now what fun would there be in telling you? I like to keep a man guessing" she teased, "that way things_ never_ get boring." Her emphasis on the word 'never' gave Guy shivers that ran right through his body; this was a woman who knew how to use her sexuality and was very good at it. With her free hand Una gently pushed Guy back onto the floor by the fire while still pointing the dagger at his throat with the other. "So," she began, moving her face closer to Guy's to the point that only a thin film of air was stopping their lips from touching "are we going to play nicely or am I going to have to undo all my hard work and kill you because you can't learn to be grateful?"

The slight movement of Guy's head and the steely look in his eyes told Una that the man was going to behave himself; she removed the dagger from his throat, stood up and walked over to a large pot standing over the fire. Guy let out a deep sigh of relief and propped himself up against the wall, he winced with the movement as Una brought over two bowls of steaming broth and handed one to him before settling herself down by his side. After a long silence it was Gisborne who spoke;

"Thank you" he murmured, "and I would also like to apologise for my behaviour earlier, I would have surely died if it wasn't for you." Guy looked at the floor as he spoke, even as a child he had always hated admitting he was wrong.

"Think nothing of it; you can never be too careful these days." Una said as she nonchalantly waved away the attack. "Forgive me, but you have not told me your name and since I was forced to give you mine it seems only proper that I should know yours." Una flashed Guy a smile that distinctly reminded him of cat, he couldn't help but return it.

"My name is Sir Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff of Nottingham's master at arms."

"Well Sir Guy of Gisborne," The reflection of the fire's flames danced in Una's eyes as his name rolled from her tongue and Guy felt the shiver run the length of his body once again, "allow me to properly introduce myself; I am the Lady Una of Oxfordshire."

In one fluid motion she held out her hand which Guy took in his own and kissed. The feline grin returned.

* * *

**Ok, so that's chapter one over and done with. Hope it's not been too boring, it's quite difficult introducing a new character and i apologise for the lack of speech from Guy, I figured that if he'd had a horse fall on him he wouldn't really be talking much. More chapters soon! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, chapter 2 is up. Hope you enjoy it and remember reviews are appreciated. Thanks :) Unfortunately I don't own Guy or Robin but one day I will own my own Guy and shall bring him out on special occasions :D **

2.

Guy awoke early the next morning; the two had talked late into the night but the dull ache in his sides and the hard floor had meant he had not slept well. In the fleeting moments when he had slept his dreams had been plagued by laughter, it belonged to Marian. _"Even in death she's still mocking me" _He thought, this enraged laughter started back in the Holy Land and hadn't stopped since; sometimes her laughter was joined by that of Robin Hood, which ridiculed him further for each failed attempt at both winning over Marian and catching him.

That night as his anguish turned to hatred and his despair turned to determination, Guy had decided to rid himself of the laughter forever in the only way he knew how. He was going to kill Robin Hood, with him out of the way there would be no more reminders of his past and he could move on. He smiled calmly at the thought.

"Good morning, I trust you slept well" Una said as she knelt down next to him, bringing Guy back to reality "or as well as you can in this place." Guy noticed a hint of disgust in her voice as she mentioned their shelter. "I need you to sit up so I can remove your shirt and check the bruising to your torso." He did as he was told and sat up, the two were almost cheek to cheek and with every breath Guy inhaled Una's musky scent. He looked at her with an eyebrow playfully raised as she began to remove his black tunic.

As she leaned forward to cut away the bandage wrapped around him he whispered in her ear "Are you sure this isn't some sly attempt at trying to seduce me? I mean, living in here you can't have seen many men. I don't blame you for trying to catch a glimpse." Try as he might he couldn't hide the smirk that had taken hold of his face.

"Oh don't you worry," Una's breath was hot against his ear as she whispered back "_when_ I'm seducing you you'll know it." She ran her hand up and down his chest. "Besides, I saw all of this last night when I first brought you here."

"Did you like what you saw?" Guy growled back, pressing Una's hand against him as he trailed his fingers down the back of her neck making the hairs there stand on end.

"I didn't complain." She said coolly, holding Guy's gaze before rising from her knees and walking to the entrance to the cave. "The bruising is coming out well, you should be able to stand and walk without much pain but you won't be able to wear your armour. After we've eaten we can go and look for your horse." She sauntered out, leaving Guy to dress himself.

oOoOoOo

The two wandered around Sherwood Forest as the sun shone brightly, Una looked on as Guy stalked a few paces ahead vigilant for any sign of outlaws. As much as he despised Vasey he had to keep him happy otherwise the consequences would be fatal; and if finding the Sheriff a new plaything for a few days meant he stayed alive then so be it.

He glanced at the woman behind him; "So tell me," he began "why would a woman of your birth be taking refuge in a cave in the middle of a forest?" He asked, slowing his pace and allowing her to catch up.

"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to ask me that." she looked down at the floor "It is a long story; I wouldn't wish to bore you."

"Well it may be a long search and seeing as there is no other form of entertainment, I beg of you to satisfy my curiosity." Guy pressed; he was desperate to know more about the woman who had saved him from death, he enjoyed her company and was beginning to feel quite gloomy towards leaving her.

"Curiosity." she sneered "Curiosity is what got me into this mess!" Una's speed quickened and Guy had to stride to keep up with her, suddenly she ground to a halt.

"Wha-" Guy's question was stopped by Una's finger pressed against his lips, with her other hand she pointed further along the track where upon his horse was quietly grazing. Guy put a protective arm in front of Una who tried to step forward; he led her behind a tree and drew out his sword. "Stay here," he whispered "it could be a trap." she silently nodded and pressed herself against the tree as Guy crept towards the spot where his horse was stood.

In the trees Robin also waited, he had found the horse earlier that day and known from the markings it was Gisborne's, so decided to use the horse for his own means and get some revenge. He may not be able to kill Gisborne but he could take everything he had, just like Gisborne had taken everything he had. The others had no idea where he was, they were so relieved to have the old Robin back that they barely questioned him when he stood up and announced he was off for a stroll around the forest. When he finally saw Gisborne approach the horse Robin stepped out of the shadows behind him;

"Stop right there Gisborne!" Robin yelled, holding up his bow and taking aim. Gisborne turned around to face his enemy, he was laughing as he did this.

"I should have known it was you" he taunted "your bitterness is making you predictable Hood." He smiled as Robin began to advance on him in response to the jibe; _"I'm going to enjoy this." _Guy thought as he too advanced on Robin, imagining his lifeless body. His pleasure turned to pain when Robin fired an arrow at Gisborne's hand making him drop his sword; he then threw the bow onto the ground, pulled out his own sword and pointed it at Guy's throat.

"You will take me to Locksley," Robin demanded through gritted teeth, "you will go to that lovely big room full of money you have and you will give it all to me." It was taking a lot of energy not to just run Gisborne through with his sword and be done with it. "Why not call it a payment for all the blood you spilt?"

"You mean _her _blood?" Gisborne whispered harshly, "Its value plummeted the day she chose you. I'm giving you nothing." Robin pushed him to the ground; he was surprised at Guy's reaction to his words. Before he would have crumbled at the very allusion to Marian; Guy tried to stifle a roar of pain as his body made contact with a tree stump behind him.

"I will ask you once more, Gisborne and then I will kill you." Robin muttered "You _will_ hand over everything to me, now."

"I really don't think so." Gisborne wheezed, the pain had taken his breath away. He kicked at Robin's ankle sending the young man to the ground, by the time Gisborne had found his sword Robin had managed to scrabble upright again and the two men found themselves with swords at each other's throats.

"It seems to me that Marian's death has made us quite evenly matched." Robin said almost chuckling at the predicament, Gisborne watched as Una came out from the tree behind Robin brandishing a large piece of wood. She rained a monstrous blow down onto Robin's head, knocking him out cold; Guy caught sight of a trickle of blood oozing from the back of the outlaw's head.

"That's twice I've helped you out of a scrape, you really aren't good at making friends are you?" She said, the wide smile she had soon disappeared when she saw the look of outrage on Guy's face. "What is it? Have I done something I shouldn't?"

Guy strode towards her. "Yes!" he said menacingly "I told you to stay put, you completely disobeyed my orders" he stopped directly in front of her "and I'm grateful for it." Una looked puzzled at the man before her. "You've just handed me redemption on a plate." He said before pulling her into a firm but frantic kiss.

oOoOoOo

They walked back to the cave in silence with Robin's unconscious form tied onto the back of the horse; the memory of the kiss was still resonant on both of their lips. It had been an incredible few moments for her Una thought, in spite of not wanting to admit it to Guy.

Guy's hands had been wrapped around Una's delicate waist as she gently ran her hands through his hair; the kiss had been short but full of ardour as they feverishly released tensions pent up in them both over the years. Guy loved the eagerness with which Una had kissed him back, unlike Marian, Una had welcomed his lips and had set about taking as much of them as she could. This had driven him to follow in a similar fashion.

When they broke for air it had been Una who spoke, her forehead resting against his as she whispered that they should return to the cave to collect the rest of his armour so he could return to Nottingham before Robin woke up.

Now they were back at the cave and Guy was packing up the rest of his things onto the horse with Robin, Una was stood watching him from the cave entrance.

"Come back with me." He pleaded; Una smiled at him but didn't answer. He walked over to her and pushed a strand of hair broken free behind her ear.

"Give me one good reason why I should come back with you." She looked at him for once without passion in her eyes but a steely seriousness.

"Me," he said desperately "We could keep each other company, see how things develop."

"Sorry, not interested. I'm not looking for love Guy, not right now anyway." Guy was hurt by her rejection, but he continued with his argument.

"You were responsible for Robin's capture too, and the Sheriff will reward you well." Guy pointed out, noticing how Una's eyes had lit up at what he had just said. "You will be out of this place; away from outlaws and amongst noblemen. Most importantly you will be restored to your former glory and given a good deal of influence over the peasants." Una began to smile at the thought of this, Guy realised that the way to her heart was not through sentimentalities but through power and drive. They had more in common than he had first imagined.

"Very well, I will return to Nottingham with you" she finally agreed, Guy felt relief wash over his whole body as she said this; it had felt like an eternity waiting for her answer. "You _do _know how to push a woman's buttons don't you?" She flashed him a flirtatious grin before disappearing back into the cave; she returned clutching a small bag which she hung on the horse with Gisborne's armour before cheerfully calling over to him. "We'd better get a move on; I don't know if I'll be able to help you out a third time if he wakes up." She gestured in Robin's direction; Guy walked swiftly towards her and took hold of the horse's reign.

"Onwards then," he said, grinning "to redemption."

"To redemption." Una repeated under her breath as they took their first returning steps to Nottingham.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the delay, I've had friends home from Uni and haven't had much spare time on my hands. Hope it's worth the wait :D Thanks for reading. **

**Don't own (Except Una), BBC does.**

3.

The Sheriff of Nottingham looked out of the window of his bed chamber, something wasn't right but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. _"Something is missing." _He pondered to himself as he began to pace his room, hoping that movement would bring inspiration. "Or maybe it's a someone..." he began to think out loud; checking off everything he could think of. "There's the guards, the servants, the peasants, the money and my birds of course." He stopped; the topic was beginning to infuriate him. "Well whatever it is, it can't be that important." A guard standing in the corner of the room tried to stifle a laugh as he watched the muttering Sheriff but was quickly cut short by the cold stare of his employer.

"Is something funny?" The Sheriff inquired sharply, keeping his eyes fixed on the man now cowering in front him.

"N-n-n-no my Lord," He answered nervously, his lip was beginning to tremble in fear.

"Oh goodie" Vasey snapped, slowly drawing his sword "because for a short moment I thought you were laughing at me and I really, _really _don't like that." He was holding his sword to the man's neck when another soldier burst in.

"My Lord, Sir Guy of Gisborne has returned. He says he has a gift for you."

"Gisborne, of course!" The Sheriff cried; his sudden enlightenment caused him to yank the sword over the sobbing guard's throat, killing him instantly. Vasey barely noticed this, "Where the hell's he been? If I find out he's been gallivanting with the kitchen girls again so help me I will remove his-"

"Excuse me my Lord." The guard interrupted fearfully "Sir Guy is waiting for you outside in the courtyard."

"Very well, take me to him." He said throwing on his cloak and heading towards the door, he gestured towards the corpse on the floor "and for god's sake will someone clean up this mess."

oOoOoOo

Una stood close to Guy as they waited for the Sheriff to meet them, her heart was beating fast. _"This is it,"_ she thought excitedly _"I'm finally getting somewhere, it's been 17 years and finally things are picking up."_ She beamed at her companion as the Sheriff strode over.

"Gisborne when the man said you had a gift for me I just thought it was a peasant who hadn't paid their taxes but she-" He paused and smiled toothlessly as he looked Una up and down, "is exquisite." Una felt Guy's posture stiffen and he spoke to the Sheriff with an air of annoyance.

"Sheriff, this is Lady Una. She helped me out of a situation in the forest."

"_Hmmm, I'm sure she did."_ Vasey thought as he kept his eyes fixed on the strange woman; "It's a pleasure to meet you my Lady." He bowed low and kissed Una's hand.

"I'm sure the pleasure is entirely mine." Una replied; recoiling slightly at the Sheriff's touch. Guy noted this with satisfaction.

"So tell me Gisborne, if she's not my present then what is?"

Guy turned around and lifted an unconscious man from his horse; Vasey couldn't see the man's face but he could already tell who it was from the green hood he wore. "Oh Gisborne, you spoil me!" The Sheriff clapped his hands like a giddy child as his right hand man threw the lifeless Hood onto the stone floor of the courtyard. "This is excellent news indeed, I don't know what you were doing in those woods Gisborne but I like the results."

"_Let's just hope the useless idiot doesn't cock things up again."_ Vasey thought, he looked from the unconscious Robin to the two figures in front of him. "We must deal with him as quickly as possible; I will not lose him again." Excitement was clearly getting to the Sheriff as he began shouting orders for Robin to be stripped of any means of escape and taken to the dungeons. "He will hang at dawn." The Sheriff said and the three of them watched as a group of soldiers appeared and dragged Robin away, Gisborne turned to the Sheriff.

"My Lord, Hood's capture was not all down to me," he started; trying to ignore the fact that the Sheriff had completely forgotten that he was responsible for Guy's trip into the forest. "In fact it was Lady Una here who incapacitated him."

Vasey took Gisborne to one side, this was the first time he had known him to give credit to someone else.

"Why are you doing this?" The Sheriff questioned.

"She saved my life after I was injured by an outlaw trap in the forest, without her help I wouldn't be standing here now and Hood wouldn't be locked up in the castle dungeons." He moved closer to Vasey and whispered. "I also think in helping her we stand to gain another ally that will surely come in useful."

The Sheriff raised an eyebrow, "So you have no romantic feelings towards this woman at all?"

"No my Lord, I've learnt my lesson." Guy wasn't sure if he had just lied to the Sheriff or not, after recent events so many things were swimming around in his head.

"Good, because the last harlot you fell in love with left you weak. I will not have that again, do you understand me?" The Sheriff's piercing glare was fixed on Gisborne.

"I understand perfectly, my Lord."

"Good," the Sheriff said this loud enough to capture Una's attention; "then you shall be rewarded indeed my Lady." Vasey didn't care much that she had saved Gisborne's life or whether she was responsible for Hood's capture but during his one-to-one with Gisborne he'd had an idea. "Why don't we step inside for a little chat?" He held out his hand and led Una into the castle, Guy followed closely behind them.

As they walked Una turned her head towards Guy and mouthed a thank you; he looked at the floor and smiled slightly, not wanting to give Vasey any reason for suspicion.

oOoOoOo

Una looked at the man sat across the table; he was much smaller than Guy with shaven silver hair and a mean glint in his eye. Una quickly figured out that the Sheriff wasn't a man you wanted to get in the way of. She had met his type before, one being her own father.

"So Una," The Sheriff started, bringing her out of her thoughts; "Gisborne tells me you've been living in the forest for some time. That's not something I'd consider normal for someone who claims to be a Lady." He watched her intently, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm afraid Sir Guy is correct, I was recently ostracised by my family because of a difference in opinions." She flashed a look at the man stood behind the Sheriff's chair with his arms crossed.

"_She's lying." _Gisborne thought.

"They didn't care much for my support for Prince John." Una continued "The cowards didn't have the courage to have me arrested so they simply cast me out." She picked a grape from a bowl and popped it in her mouth, her eyes flashed onto Guy once again.

"My dear that is a shame." the Sheriff purred "We cannot have an intelligent woman like yourself living amongst common thieves and murderers, don't you agree Gisborne?"

"Of course My Lord."

"I insist you take up residence at the manor in Knighton, you will also of course gain control of the village and lands surrounding it."

Gisborne's arms dropped to his sides, he had gone very pale. "My Lord, I must pro-" He started to argue but was quickly cut off by the Sheriff.

"Now, now, Gisborne you know full well Knighton has been without a Lord or Lady to govern it for some time. The villagers need an authority figure there at all times to make sure they behave and pay their taxes, Lady Una here has demonstrated that she is more than capable of doing that."

"Oh my Lord, thank you very much." Una said enthusiastically, "You don't realise how good it feels to have a second chance."

"Yes well," Vasey trailed off; he was getting tired of pretending to be nice and he hated winning over allies. He would still keep an eye on her of course, he never completely trusted anyone. "I've had one of the serving girls make up one of the guest chambers here since Knighton Hall is currently under reconstruction. You can thank our friend Gisborne for that." The Sheriff cackled.

"If you will excuse me My Lord I have some things to attend to." Guy said bleakly, before stalking out of the room.

For once Vasey was pleased to see Gisborne's protests; he had intentionally given Una Knighton to make sure Guy wasn't going to get any closer to the woman. He knew that no matter how hard Gisborne tried, the memories associated with that place would prove too much. It was a win-win situation Vasey thought; the Knighton seat at the noble's council would be filled with someone on his side for once and Gisborne wouldn't get caught up in all that sticky romance mess again. _"Perfect." _He thought contently.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. Reviews please! Thank you so far for your support :) Mini Gisborne figurines for you all! **


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Gisborne stood in the castle corridor with his back against the wall; Vasey infuriated him, _"How dare he give Knighton to Una!"_ He yelled mentally _"He knows exactly how that place makes me feel."_ Gisborne grew angrier, _"This time he has gone too far, I delivered Hood to him and yet he still throws it all back in my face." _He turned around and kicked viciously at the solid stone wall, hoping to vent some frustration. He stopped when he heard the doors to the main hall open and quickly pressed himself against the wall when he saw Una come out and ascend up the stairway to her chamber. Guy waited a couple of minutes for the Sheriff to appear, when he didn't he began to move silently up the stairs after Una.

oOoOoOo

Una flopped onto the four-poster bed, she hadn't realised how tired she was until now. _"Three weeks on a cold cave floor can really take it out of you." _She joked to herself and laid back onto the bed, she couldn't believe how much things had changed so quickly. _"To think I was going to leave him for dead." _Una felt a pang of shame as she remembered this, Guy had proven to be a man of his word and the Sheriff had rewarded her indeed. Her thoughts then turned to the Sheriff of Nottingham; Una didn't like him much, he was vile, narcissistic and clearly hated getting his hands dirty. Men like Vasey were all talk and very little action, unless someone else was doing it of course.

She brought herself out of her thoughts and walked over to the wooden table where she had set her bag. She took out a comb and began to remove her hair from its braid; suddenly Guy of Gisborne burst through the door;

"He gave you Knighton!" Gisborne raged "That bastard gave you Knighton!" Una backed into the table, knocking her bag onto the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Una cried furiously, she had always hated feeling scared. "Have you never heard of a little thing called knocking?"

"He knows exactly what that place means to me." Guy began to pace around the room, his fists were clenched. Una felt nervous, Guy was strong and she had gotten lucky the last time her attacked her.

"Guy, what's wrong?" Una asked calmly, not wanting to provoke him. "It's just a village, what's so special about it?" She stayed propped up against the table and kept her eyes fixed on the leather clad figure stalking around opposite her.

"It was hers, it was Marian's." Guy's fists relaxed slightly as everything tumbled out, "I killed her, I killed her because she loved that ridiculous outlaw instead of me." He kicked over a chair and walked to the wall opposite and slid down against it. Una looked on as Guy folded his knees under his chin and hugged them tightly; he looked like a lost child. "I try to push it to the back of my mind and move on but I can't. She used me so many times but I loved her and she just laughed at me." Una moved slowly across the room and slid down the wall beside him;

"Can't you see that Vasey has done this on purpose?" She started, unsure of how to handle the situation. "He knows that the only hold he has on you is through her; he's put me there because he doesn't want you getting close to me. He's worried that if you get over this then you'll turn on him."

"Why has this not scared you?" Guy asked simply.

"I'm not scared because I would have done the same thing." She whispered back, holding his gaze. "I have made men lust after me in order to obtain things, but never love me. To break someone's heart is unforgivable."

"Are you saying that Marian deserved it?" Guy sneered. When he had kissed Una the day before he was so sure of himself, so sure that killing Hood was the answer yet Vasey's stunt had sent him reeling.

"Yes." She said blankly, Guy was stunned by her honesty but he couldn't help but feel the slightest comfort from the fact that someone other than Vasey was on his side. "Granted, you could have handled things a little better but what's done is done Guy; you can't change things now. You have to learn to accept things before the Sheriff breaks you down to nothing."

"He already has." Guy sighed resignedly.

Una gripped his arm tightly. "Don't you dare talk like that," Guy noticed that the fire in her eye's had returned. "You cannot let Vasey get to you like this; he is just an insignificant little man and without you he would crumble. Deep down even you know that." They sat in silence; Una could almost imagine Guy's mind working like clockwork, trying to process everything.

Eventually he smiled weakly; Una was right, he couldn't give Vasey the satisfaction of seeing him fall apart. He rose slowly and offered his hand to Una, helping her upright. "Thank you." He said, he had not noticed that their hands were still intertwined. "It seems I've had a lot of things to thank you for lately."

"No, thank _you._" Una replied. "If it wasn't for you I'd still be back in Sherwood Forest." She beamed at him. "Now if you don't mind; it is late and if there is one thing I crave more than anything at the moment - apart from the use of my hand - it is a bath." She gently slid her hand from his.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, his face was starting to redden as he began to make for the door. "I shall leave you, my Lady."

"Guy stopped and stared at the floor. "What is it?" Una asked, to her horror she realised what Guy was staring at; her Tarot cards had spilled out from her bag and all over the floor. He bent down and slowly retrieved 'the Lovers' card; holding it up, he turned towards her.

"Care to explain these?" Guy asked menacingly. "Hardly the works of God are they?"

"Well last time I checked murder wasn't exactly top of God's list of favourite things either." Una returned Guy's stare as he backed her up against the wall. She couldn't help but find it slightly amusing how within a day of meeting the two of them had been in such close proximity of one another so many times. Una waited for Guy's threats but they never came;

"Una please; be honest with me," She could see it in his eyes; Guy was desperate to be able to trust her. "I know what you told the Sheriff was a lie, but please tell me the truth. I have told you of my past, you at least owe it to me to tell me yours."

Una sighed. "You had better sit down." Guy did as he was told and sat down on the chair at Una's bedside. Una pushed herself from against the wall and slowly walked towards her bed, she sat facing Guy.

"I was 13 when it happened; my older brother Alexander and I were wandering through the forest in Oxfordshire when we came across a traveller's camp. Alex, being the ever domineering one decided to exert his authority on the travellers by releasing their collection of songbirds they had hanging around one of the caravans. Of course, what my foolish brother didn't realise was that the noise would obviously alert the travellers of an intruder."

Una paused, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them she saw that Guy's eyes were still fixed on her.

"I hid behind a tree and watched as 5 men beat my brother to death." Her eye's shone with tears, "The old hag who owned the caravan found me, she decided that since the birds belonged to her she would take me as replacement."

"I'm sorry." Guy whispered.

"Why? Alex was an idiot; he was always looking for the next opportunity to show off. Just like my father, just like the Sheriff." She added angrily. "I lived with them for 17 years, moving all over the country. The old hag permitted me to learn some of her skills, including the tarot cards." She paused again and leaned closer to Guy. "I like to be in control Guy; I wasn't in control that day and look what happened. The cards help me feel like I have some sort of power over my future."

"Why did no one come looking for you?"

"They did, well they came looking for my brother to be more precise." Una laughed bitterly. "I had 3 brothers and my father loved them all, I was just a hindrance to him; I wasn't going to carry on the Oxfordshire name so therefore I didn't matter."

Guy couldn't believe what he was hearing, no wonder Una didn't want to tell him about this.

"I escaped 3 weeks ago; the old hag had made sure I had an excellent knowledge when it came to potion making and herbal remedies, so I used it to my advantage. The traveller's had to let me go, my brother's debt had been to the old woman and not with them."

"You killed her?"

"I had to, the place was suffocating me." She buried her head in her hands, "It was my only way out, if I'd have tried to make a run for it they would have caught and killed me for sure." Una laughed dryly, "We are not so different."

Guy moved and sat beside her, he put his hand under her chin and raised her head so that once again their eyes met, with his other hand he wiped her tears away and smiled.

"There was no way you could have saved either you or your brother whether you were in control or not. You did what you had to do and now you are back where you belong, you finally have your life back on track. You cannot let the past stop you." He pulled her into an embrace, his head resting on hers as he delicately stroked her hair.

"I won't let it if you don't." She replied, despite her tears she still looked beautiful.

"Agreed." Guy replied with a small smile. "Now you must get some sleep." He said breaking away and gently laying her down onto the bed, "a lot of things have happened today; you will feel much better after a good night's rest in a comfortable bed." He stood up and walked to the door, "Goodnight Una."

"Goodnight Guy." Una replied sleepily as Guy closed the door behind him.

* * *

**I know Gisborne seems a bit of mess at the moment but I think that's how he'd be feeling in his head, one moment he'd feeling one way about things the next moment another. Hope everyone is enjoying is so far :) Nice comments please! :) **


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